PopHorror Let's Get Scared
From Epic Pictures and directors, Lee Thongkham (The Maid) (read our interview with Lee here) and Aquig Xu, is an exciting new horror/thriller: The Lake.
The Lake (2022) Synopsis
A girl finds a strange egg and brings it back to her village, only to later realize it was from a monster. Now a giant monster emerges from the lake to search for the egg, destroying the town and its inhabitants
The film stars Lamyai Haithongkham (Jao Sao Yeun Neung), Sushar Manaying (Switch On), and Teerapat Satjakul (Thirteen Lives).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uux_6u-q1Rg
What would happen if Venom, Godzilla, the Xenomorph from Alien, and Samael from Hellboy had an unholy love child?? I can’t begin to tell you how many nights I’ve lain awake and asked myself this very question. Fortunately, Thai directors Lee Thongkham and Aquing Xu have provided an answer in the form of monsters from the deep terrorizing fishing villages in The Lake.
During a severe thunderstorm, little girl May (Wanmai Chatborirak) finds a huge, slime-covered egg on the shores of her remote fishing village, and…well, as you can imagine things start going sideways after that. Enter protective sister Lin (Sushar Manaying) who, while looking for the now missing May with her troubled brother Keng (Thanachat Tunyachat), end up right in the middle of a rampaging monster from the lake, with Keng ending up on the receiving end of some of said creature’s wrath.
Soon the police are involved, with Inspectors James (Theerapat Sajakul) and Fon (Palita Chueasawthee), along with James’ rebellious, erstwhile daughter Pam (Supansa Wedkama) hot on the monster, or monsters’, trail, working closely with the villagers to ensure everyone survives the onslaught of the vengeful monsters and their quest to retrieve their egg.
The Lake is a very capable kaiju (or Thai-ju?) film that incorporates some very well-done creature effects. The filmmakers expertly use lighting, weather, and angles to hide everything they don’t want to be seen (very Jaws-ish) while still utilizing CGI to augment the practical effects, not overtake them. And the creature designs, especially with the “adult” is what makes The Lake such a fun ride!
It’s not often, these days, that an action-packed, suspenseful, and story-driven giant monster film is produced, with most filmmakers delving into a silly, Sci-Fi Channel, CGI crap-fest like Mega-Shark-Piranha-Octopus-O-Caine or something similar. Thongkham, XU, and company should be praised for just that alone. They’ve done some good work here. There are scares, atmosphere, creepy visuals, and attention to detail that lend a serious tone to the proceedings.
Despite the obvious clunky translation with the subtitles, there’s very little culture shock here, as is often the case with Asian cinema and the West’s ignorance of customs and beliefs (although the weird bag/cup hybrid that James drinks his coffee from sticks out…). The danger the villagers feel is palpable, and so is the hard-boiled determination of the police and the desperation of Keng and Lin. Although I have questions: does Thailand have an army? Why don’t we see an actual firearm until the third act? The monsters slaughter villagers just fine, but apparently only eat catfish…?
While the human factor is what makes The Lake so compelling, as opposed to a run-of-the-mill “creature feature”, it’s also what makes it sort of go off the rails as it approaches the finale: Keng’s strange psychic connection to one the adolescent beasts is never fully explained or explored, and despite some true Jurassic Park inspired tension, the filmmakers seem to throw everything at the screen to see what sticks to wrap things up. Monks, baby monsters, and more culminate in a truly bizarre ending, that leaves an opening for a sequel that you could drive a Mack truck through.
Final Thoughts
All in all, The Lake delivers a well-made, capable monster flick that’s a satisfying watch, without slipping into a miasma of goofiness that plagues films in this subgenre. While it’s not a mega-budget Godzilla or Pacific Rim CGI romp, one gets the impression that guys who make this stuff, like Peter Jackson or Guillermo del Toro would approve.
The Lake is available on Blu-ray from MVD Visual and other retailers and is streaming on Tubi and various other services.
